Two dead, 17 wounded in Kentucky high school shooting

A 15-year-old student killed two classmates and hit a dozen others with gunfire Tuesday at his rural Kentucky high school. Dusty Kornbacher was in her florist shop when she saw all the police activity outside her window. (Jan. 23)
AP

Emergency crews respond to Marshall County High School after a fatal school shooting Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, in Benton, Ky.(Photo11: Ryan Hermens, AP)

BENTON, Ky. — A 15-year-old student opened fire Tuesday at a high school in rural Kentucky, killing two people and wounding a dozen more, authorities said.

Gov. Matt Bevin said five others suffered non-shooting injuries in the rampage and chaos that followed at Marshall County High School in Benton. Authorities believe all the victims were students, Bevin said.

He said the suspect would be charged with murder and attempted murder.

"This is a wound that will take a long time to heal," Bevin said. "For some in this community it will never heal."

Police identified the two students who died as Bailey Holt, 15, who was pronounced dead at the school, and Preston Cope, also 15, who was airlifted to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where he died.

The shooting took place in a common area of the school at 7:57 a.m. local time, before classes started, authorities said. The 911 call came in two minutes later. First responders reached the scene at 8:06 a.m., and the shooter was taken into custody "in a non-violent apprehension," Bevin said.

Marshall County Attorney Jeff Edwards said it did not appear the gunman targeted specific people. He called the scene "indescribable."

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Lauren Bengtzen, of Gilbertsville, Ky., paints the Marshall County High School logo on a window at a Taco John's restaurant in Benton, Ky. on Jan. 25, 2018. Bengtzen, who graduated from Marshall County High School last spring, said she came in early for her shift at the restaurant to paint the window after the fatal school shooting Tuesday. Ryan Hermens, The Paducah Sun via AP

Kentucky Wesleyan College students Lucas Butler, right, and Jack Forte, second from right, along with other students and staff attend a prayer vigil on Jan. 25, 2018, on campus in Owensboro, Ky., for the victims of Marshall County High School. Alan Warren, The Messenger-Inquirer via AP

Jason Darnall, assistant county attorney for Marshall County, left, makes a statement to the media following a court hearing of the suspected gunman in Tuesday's shooting at Marshall County High School at the Marshall County Judicial Facility in Benton, Ky. on Jan. 25, 2018. Darnall said he can't comment on what happens inside juvenile court, where the teenager's identity and details of the crime remain cloaked in secrecy. But he reiterated that the state wants to try the teenager as an adult. Ryan Hermens, The Paducah Sun via AP

Students from Marshall County High School hold hands during a prayer vigil for their classmates, on Jan. 24, 2018, outside Paducah Tilghman High School. Two students were killed and 18 were injured Tuesday morning at Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky. Matt Stone, Louisville Courier Journal, via USA TODAY NETWORK

A prayer circle at Paducah Tilghman High School held a prayer circle on Jan. 24, 2018, at the school for students at Marshall County High School where two students were killed and 18 others were injured during a shooting on Jan. 23, 2018. Michael Clevenger, Louisville Courier Journal, via USA TODAY NETWORK

Two students hug after a prayer circle at Paducah Tilghman High School on Jan. 24, 2018. The students gathered to pray for the students of Marshall County High School who were killed and injured during the shooting on Tuesday morning. Michael Clevenger, Louisville Courier Journal, via USA TODAY NETWORK

Alyssa Edging, center, a student at McCracken County High School, embraces Erica Johnson, left, and Abigail Hicks, both juniors at Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky., following a prayer vigil at Paducah Tilghman High School in Paducah, Ky. on Jan. 24, 2018. The gathering was held to honor the victims of the Marshall County High School shooting on Tuesday. Ryan Hermens, The Paducah Sun via AP

Students and community members hold hands in prayer before classes at Paducah Tilghman High School in Paducah, Ky. on Jan. 24, 2018. The gathering was held for the victims of the Marshall County High School shooting on Tuesday. Ryan Hermens, The Paducah Sun via AP

Students and community members hold hands in prayer before classes at Paducah Tilghman High School in Paducah, Ky. on Jan. 24, 2018. The gathering was held for the victims of the Marshall County High School shooting on Tuesday. Ryan Hermens, The Paducah Sun via AP

The members of Impact Church lit candles and sang Amazing Grace on Tuesday evening during a service in remembrance of the two killed and 17 injured during a shooting at Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky., on Jan. 23, 2018. Michael Clevenger, USA TODAY NETWORK

Sisters Kirsten and Johnna Walker embrace each other at Benton Church of Christ in Benton, Ky on Jan. 23, 2018 following a shooting at Marshall County High School. Two of the churches members were injured in the shooting. Erica Brechtelsbauer, USA TODAY NETWORK

Students from Christian Fellowship school, which is located across the street from Marshall County High School, look out the windows as they pass the school and see emergency personnel lining the streets in Benton, Ky., on Jan. 23, 2018. Erica Brechtelsbauer, USA TODAY NETWORK

Officials close off the road leading to one entrance to Marshall County High School after a gunman opened fire. Two were killed and 17 more were injured. January 23, 2018. Michael Clevenger, USA TODAY NETWORK

Family members escort their children out of Marshall North Middle School near Palma, Ky. on Jan. 23, 2018, after the students where transported from Marshall High School. The students of the high school were transported to the middle school to be picked up by family members after a shooting. Stephen Lance Dennee, AP

Family members escort their children out of Marshall North Middle School near Palma, Ky. on Jan. 23, 2018, after the students where transported from Marshall High School. The students of the high school were transported to the middle school to be picked up by family members after a shooting. Stephen Lance Dennee, AP

Shannon Duffy walks her daughter Lyra, center and son Kalessin, right, out of Marshall North Middle School near Palma, Ky. on Jan. 23, 2018, after a school shooting at Marshall County High school. The students of the high school in nearby Draffenville were transported to the middle school to be picked up by family members after a shooting at the high school. Stephen Lance Dennee, AP

Kentucky State Police Lt. Michael Webb speaks during a media briefing at the Marshall County Board of Education following a shooting at Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky. on Jan. 23, 2018. A couple of students were killed and others injured Tuesday morning at Marshall County High School when a 15-year-old classmate opened fire. Ryan Hermens, The Paducah Sun via AP

Police escort a person, second from right, out of the Marshall County High School after shooting there on Jan 23, 2018, in Benton, Ky. Two people were killed and numerous others were wounded Tuesday morning in a shooting at the rural Kentucky high school, authorities said. Dominico Caporali, via AP

Emergency crews respond to Marshall County High School after a fatal school shooting Jan. 23, 2018 in Benton, Ky. Authorities said a shooting suspect was in custody. Ryan Hermens, The Paducah Sun via AP

Emergency crews respond to Marshall County High School after a fatal school shooting Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, in Benton, Ky. Authorities said a shooting suspect was in custody. Ryan Hermens, The Paducah Sun via AP

State Police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene.

Students were bused from the high school to a nearby middle school. Benton is a town of less than 5,000 people in western Kentucky, about 120 miles northwest of Nashville. Several victims were taken to the hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

"This is a tremendous tragedy and speaks to the heartbreak present in our communities," Bevin said in a separate statement. "It is unbelievable that this would happen in a small, close-knit community like Marshall County. As there is still much unknown, I encourage people to love on each other at this time. "

Marshall County High School enrolled 1,374 students during the 2016-2017 school year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education. It is about 35 miles southeast of Heath High School in West Paducah, where on Dec. 1, 1997, Michael Carneal opened fire on a group of praying students. Carneal, 14, killed three people and wounded five others.

Sophomore Daniel Austin, a 17-year-old special needs student, was among those who were shot, said his brother, 23-year-old Shane Story.

"I was watching TV this morning and I got a phone call from my stepmom saying there had been a school shooting and it freaked me out," Story said. "I sensed something was wrong with my brother."

Daniel was one of the students flown to Vanderbilt Medical Center.

His brother said he is a "positive influence" for other students and that thankfully the odds look good for his survival.

"The doctor's said there's a 90 percent chance they can save his arm," Story said. "I'm grateful that he is alive, but just the pain he is going through. He has gone through so many uphill battles."

Story spoke to his brother while Daniel was en route to Vanderbilt. "He told me to be strong," Story said. "It's hard to be strong when it's your little brother."

Mark Garland owns a small auto shop near the school where some students sought safety.

One girl was close enough to the shooting that she felt and saw bullet fragments pinging off the walls and was distraught, barely able to speak, Garland said.

Hundreds of other students ran down U.S. 68 in front of the school, searching for parents, he said.

"Just the looks on their faces, it just kind of sticks with you," Garland said.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who represents Benton, tweeted condolences to the Marshall community. "My thoughts & prayers go out to the students & faculty at Marshall County High School where there has been a tragic school shooting," Comer said.

Tragic shooting at Marshall County HS...Shooter is in custody, one confirmed fatality, multiple others wounded...Much yet unknown...Please do not speculate or spread hearsay...Let’s let the first responders do their job and be grateful that they are there to do it for us...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the floor of the Senate that "our hearts are with the entire community of Marshall County." He and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said they were monitoring reports from the scene and thanked first responders for their efforts.

National PTA President Jim Accomando also expressed condolences, issuing a statement saying families, educators, school administrators, community leaders and elected officials must work together to prevent gun violence in schools and ensure all students can learn in a safe environment.

“Any act of violence at a school or involving children and youth is intolerable," Accomando said. "And no parent should fear for the safety of their child every time they leave home."

Former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was wounded in a 2011 mass shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that left six people dead, expressed similar sentiments.

“Our nation’s schools should be some of the safest spaces in our communities. Why do we keep allowing this terror to happen?" she said in a statement. "Congress can protect our kids in their classrooms, in the cafeteria, and on the playground — but to do that they must strengthen our gun laws."